Air vane assembly



y 1967 J. 5. JESSEE, JR 3,322,058

AIR VANE ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 15, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

(75%;; Jssee,

y 30, 1967 J. 5. JESSEE; JR 3,322,058

AIR VANE ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 13, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

5622 s'se J; BY

United States Patent 3,322,058 AIR VANE ASSEMBLY Joseph S. Jessee, Jr., Dayton, Ohio, assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 495,489 Claims. (Cl. 98-94) This invention relates to air vanes, and more specifically to an improved air vane assembly of the type to be positioned within the discharge opening of a fluid passage or air duct to control the direction of travel of fluids from such opening. This invention is especially pertinent with respect to air vanes for units such as air conditioners, room coolers and the like.

Self-contained air conditioning units are generally constructed as small as possible so that they may be conveniently mounted in a window or other relatively limited area. Moreover, most of the space in the unit is occupied by the refrigeration and fan system and little room is available for deflectors or air vanes to control the direction and dispersion of the air being discharged. In addition, the air vanes generally form a prominent part of the air conditioner and, hence, should present a pleasing appearance.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an air flow directing apparatus which takes up a minimum of space and, at the same time, is composed of air vane assemblies which can control the flow of air and not respond resonantly thereto.

Another object is to provide an air flow directing apparatus which presents a clean, uncluttered, and easthetically pleasing appearance.

A further object is to provide an air flow directing apparatus which is convenient to operate and which is economical in cost.

Another object is to provide an air vane which is easily adjustable and which is connected to only one side of the air flow directing apparatus thereby permitting its easy and economical installation.

Still another object is to provide an air flow directing apparatus wherein the air vanes thereof may be inter connected by means located outside of the air passageway.

According to the present invention, an apparatus for controlling the flow of air from a passage is provided which is composed of supporting structure and a plurality of air vane assemblies carried thereon. The support structure is carried in registry with the passage and has a plurality of openings therethrough. Each of the air vane assemblies is composed of two separate sections which are capable of being detachably interconnected. One of the sections is provided with an air vane portion while the other section is adapted to be interconnected with other air vane assemblies. The two sections of the air vane assembly are positioned on opposite sides of the support structure in registry with one of the openings therein with at least one of the sections being journalled in the opening to accommodate rotation of the air vane relative to the support structure. In order to provide bearing surface and to inhibit separation of the air Vane assembly from the supporting structure, at least one of the sections is provided with a laterally extending portion overlying a portion of the support structure in the vicinity of the opening therein. The two sections of the air vane assembly are interconnected by cooperating fastening means extending from one or both of the sections. The fastening means penetrates the opening of the support structure and effects physical joinder of the two sections.

In the arrangement of this invention, the air vane is connected to only one side of the air passageway and,

accordingly, installation of the air vane assembly is very easy. Furthermore, a portion of the assembly lies outside of the air passageway thereby allowing the mechanism for interconnecting several assemblies to be positioned outside of the air passageway. This feature of the invention enables the air passageway to be kept free from obstructing elements which interfere with the distribution function of the air vanes.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and from the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGUREl is a perspective view of a room air conditioner showing an air flow directing apparatus made up of a plurality of air vane assemblies constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of an air vane assembly constructed in accordance with this invention, taken generally in a plane represented by line 22 of FIGURE 1 in the direction of the arrows with fragmentary portions thereof broken away and in cross section;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view illustrating two air vane assemblies of this invention operatively connected to each other for conjoint operation, with each assembly being viewed, as for example, in a plane 4-4 of FIGURE 2 with the air vane being shown, in various selected positions, in phantom lines;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 3 showing the interconnection of the components of the air vane assembly; and

FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective view of the air vane assembly.

A room air conditioner is indicated generally by the numeral 10 and includes a casing 12 provided with a front wall 14 having a movable cover panel 16. Located in the front wall 14 are a control panel 18 and an air outlet opening 20 which is provided with an air flow directing apparatus composed of a support structure 48 and a plurality of air vane assemblies 22 of this invention.

To facilitate a clear understanding of the air vane assembly 22, particular reference is made to FIGURE 7 which clearly shows the two sections 24 and 26 which comprise the asembly. One section 24 of the assembly 22 comprises a journal portion 28, a laterally extending portion 29 and an air vane portion 30 extending from the journal portion. The other section 26 comprises a head portion 32 and a pin 34 extending therefrom. In order that the two sections 24 and 26 may be detachably interconnected, the journal portion 28 of section 24 is provided with an aperture 36, and the pin 34 of section 26 is formed so as to engage and securely connect the two sections 24 and 26. Thus, pin 34 may be formed so as to have a retaining formation such as a rubber portion or a scored or roughened surface to grip section 24 by by friction. A convenient method of providing such a retaining formation is to split the pin 34 thereby providing a plurality of tongues 38. Accordingly, as seen from FIGURES 5 and 6, sections 24 and 26 of air vane assembly 22 are detachably interconnected by flexing the tongues 38 inwardly, or toward each other, and inserting them into aperture 36 of section 24. It will be understood that section 24 could be provided with the pin and section 26 with the aperture if desired.

For facilitating the inward flexing of the tongues and to insure a tight forced fit between the tongues 38 and the walls defining aperture 36, the outer sides of tongues 38 are preferably provided at their upper or free ends, that is, the end farthest from the head 32, with retaining portions 40 having substantially laterally projecting shoulders 42 and tapered surfaces 44.

In one embodiment as seen with reference to FIGURE 6, the aperture 36 in section 24 extends substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the journal 28 and into the air vane 30. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention as seen with'particular reference to FIGURES 6 and 7, the aperture 36 in journal 28 has a diameter or width which is greater than the thickness of the air vane 30. Accordingly, since the aperture 36 extends into the air vane portion 30 a second aperture 46 is formed which extends transversely through the air vane 30. In this arrangement, as seen with particular reference to FIGURE 3, tongues 38 can be inserted into the aperture 36 of journal 28 to an extent whereby the retaining portions 40 thereof can project from the aperture 46. Accordingly, sections 24 and 26 are then detachably interconnected with shoulder portion 42 of the tongues engaging the upper surface of journal 28.

A highly effective air flow directing apparatus is achieved by mounting a plurality of air vane assemblies as described hereinabove in an air passageway 20 as illustrated in FIGURE 1. In this arrangement, each air vane assembly 22 is mounted on, and substantially normal to, a support structure or plate 48 which is pivotally mounted at 50 in casing 12. Cover panel is pivotally mounted on plate 48 by means of hinge 52. Opening of the cover panel 16 carries plate 48 to a position forwardly of the front wall 14 with the air vane assemblies 22 mounted thereon extending across the air outlet opening in a direction substantially normal to the support structure 48.

With particular reference to FIGURES 2, 3 and 6 it is seen that each of the air vane assemblies 22 is mounted on support structure 48 by inserting the journal portion 28 of the assembly into one of a plurality of openings which extend through the plate 48. The pin portion 34 of the other section of the assembly is then inserted through the opening in the plate to an extent whereby the retainer portions 48 can project from the aperture 46 in the air vane. The opening in plate 48 and the two sections of the air vane assembly 22 are dimensioned so that bearing surfaces 54 of the laterally extended portion 29 and of the journal 28 are in contact with plate 48 and the laterally extended upper surface 56 of head 32 is in contact with the lower surface of the plate 48, which preferably has a lip 58 protruding therefrom to form a bearing surface. Due to the interconnection of sections 24 and 26, pivotal movement of either section Will cause the other section to undergo similar movement.

It is desired that the air vane assemblies 22 be interconnected for gang movement and section 26 of the assembly is provided with a crankarrn 69 extending radially from head 32 for this purpose. The crankarm 60 is provided with means, such as pin 62, adapted to be connected to a motion transmission link 64 (see FIGURE 2). As mentioned earlier, this arrangement for gang movement has several major advantages- Thus obstructions in the air passageways are minimized and a clean, uncluttered appearance is achieved since all the mechanism for gang movement, as can be seen from FIGURES 2 and 4, is located below plate 48 and outside of the air passageway. Generally, it is preferred that two separate groupings of air vane assemblies 66 and 68 be provided in order that the two groups may assume different directions as illustrated in FIGURE 1. In this type of arrangement, pivotal movement of the air vane portion 30 of any one of the air vane assemblies, as for example an air vane assembly of group 66, will also cause the rest of the air vanes of group 66 to pivot in a similar manner.

It should be understood that the particular shape of the air vane portion 30 of the air vane assembly 22 of this invention may be varied to suit specific requirements. The quadrant shaped design illustrated in FIGURE 7 wherein the air vane St has a first edge 70 in juxtaposition with the journal portion 28 and generally perpendicular to its axis of rotation, a second edge 72 adjoining one end of edge and being generally parallel to and spaced laterally from the journal axis and a third curvilinear edge 74 extending between the ends of the other edges '70, 72, has proved more than adequate to control the direction of travel of air having a relatively high velocity. An advantage of the illustrated air vane design is that the air vane portion 30 is relatively short, and yet, in terms of proportion rather massive, so that when molded of a comparatively low density material, such as polystyrene, resonance is minimized. Irrespective of the particular shape of the air vane portion 22 it is in general preferable in the interest of ease of movement that the air vane lies substantially in the plane containing the axis of rotation of the journal portion 28.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the objects of this invention have been obtained. A new air vane assembly and air fiow directing apparatus have been provided which are compact, easy to install, have a pleasing appearance and which present a minimum of obstruction to the flow of air through a passageway.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for controlling the discharge of air from a cabinet having an air outlet passage formed therein, said apparatus comprising a support structure having upper and lower surfaces, and a plurality of air vane assemblies, said support structure being carried by said cabinet in registry with the above-mentioned passage and having a plurality of openings therethrough, said air vane assemblies each being carried by said support structure in registry with one of the above-mentioned opening and comprising first and second sections, said first section comprising a journal portion and an air vane portion extending from said journal portion, said journal portion having an aperture therein extending through said journal portion and into said air vane portion so as to form a second aperture extending transversely through said air vane portion, said sec-0nd section comprising a head portion and a pin provided with retaining portions extending from the head, said first section being carried by one of said surfaces of the support structure and journaled with an opening therein, said first section having a laterally projecting portion overlying a portion of said support structure in the vicinity of the associated opening to serve as bearing surface in cooperation with the support sur-' face, said second section being carried by the opposite surface of said support structure, and said first and second sections being detachably interconnected by insertion of the pin of the second section into the aperture of the first section so that said retaining portions can project from said second aperture.

2. Apparatus for controlling the discharge of air from a cabinet having an air outlet passage formed'therein, said apparatus comprising a support structure having upper and lower surfaces, and a plurality of air vane assemblies, said support structure being carried by said cab inet in registry with the above-mentionedpassage and having a plurality of openings therethrough, said vane assemblies each being carried by said support structure in registry with one of the above-mentioned openings and comprising first and second sections, one of said sections being carried by one of said surfaces of said support structure and having an air vane portion extending across said outlet passage and the other of said sections being carried by the opposite of said supporting structure, at least one of said sections having a portion journaled in one of the above-mentioned openings to accommodate rotation thereof relative to the support structure and at least one of said sections being provided with a laterally extending portion overlying a portion of said support struc ture in the vicinity 'of the associated opening therein to serve as bearing surface in cooperation with support structure, one of said sections having a pin provided with retaining portions extending therefrom and the other of said sections having an aperture communicating with a shoulder extending transversely thereto, said first and second sections being detachably interconnected by insertion of the pin into the aperture of the other section so that said retaining portions project from said aperture and engage said shoulder.

3. Apparatus for controlling the discharge of air from a cabinet having an air outlet passage formed therein, said apparatus comprising a support structure having upper and lower surfaces, and a plurality of air vane assemblies, said support structure being carried by said cabinet in registry with the above-mentioned passage and having a plurality of openings therethrough, said air vane assemblies each being carried by said support structure in registry with one of the above-mentioned openings and comprising first and second sections, one of said sections being carried by one of said surfaces of said support structure and having an air vane portion extending across said outlet passage in a direction substantially normal to said supporting structure and the other of said sections being carried by the opposite surface of said supporting structure, at least one of said sections having a portion journaled in one of the above-mentioned openings to accommodate rotation thereof relative to the support structure and at least one of said sections being provided With a laterally extending portion overlying a portion of said support structure in the vicinity of the associated opening therein to serve as bearing surface in cooperation with the support structure, one of said sections having an integrally formed pin extending therefrom and the other of said sections having an aperture therein, said pin and aperture being so formed so as to be keyed to each other thereby preventing relative rotation therebetween upon said first and second sections being detachably interconnected by penetration of the associated opening with the pin means and insertion thereof into the aperture of said other section.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said pin is a resiliently deflectable member.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said pin is at least partially longitudinally split to provide a plurality of retaining tongues the free ends of which are capable of flexing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,940,376 6/1960 Lambert 98121 X 3,035,422 5/1962 Halbeisen 62262 X 3,205,541 9/1965 Beards 98-12l X ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

MEYER PERLIN, Examiner.

M. A. ANTONAKAS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE DISCHARGE OF AIR FROM A CABINET HAVING AN AIR OUTLET PASSAGE FORMED THEREIN, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A SUPPORT STRUCTURE HAVING UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES, AND A PLURALITY OF AIR VANE ASSEMBLIES, SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE BEING CARRIED BY SAID CABINET IN REGISTRY WITH THE ABOVE-MENTIONED PASSAGE AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS THERETHROUGH, SAID AIR VANE ASSEMBLIES EACH BEING CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE IN REGISTRY WITH ONE OF THE ABOVE-MENTIONED OPENING AND COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS, SAID FIRST SECTION COMPRISING A JOURNAL PORTION AND AN AIR VANE PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID JOURNAL PORTION, SAID JOURNAL PORTION HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID JOURNAL PORTION AND INTO SAID AIR VANE PORTION SO AS TO FORM A SECOND APERTURE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THROUGH SAID AIR VANE PORTION, SAID SECOND SECTION COMPRISING A HEAT PORTION AND A PIN PROVIDED WITH RETAINING PORTIONS EXTENDING FROM THE HEAD, SAID FIRST SECTION BEING CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID SURFACES OF THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND JOURNALED WITH AN OPENING THEREIN, SAID FIRST SECTION HAVING A LATERALLY PROJECTING PORTION OVERLYING A PORTION OF SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE IN THE VICINITY OF THE ASSOCIATED OPENING TO SERVE AS BEARING SURFACE IN COOPERATION WITH THE SUPPORT SURFACE, SAID SECOND SECTION BEING CARRIED BY THE OPPOSITE SURFACE OF SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE, AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS BEING DETACHABLY INTERCONNECTED BY INSERTION OF THE PIN OF THE SECOND SECTION INTO THE APERTURE OF THE FIRST SECTION SO THAT SAID RETAINING PORTIONS CAN PROJECT FROM SAID SECOND APERTURE. 